Chapter 31: The Dawnlight Envoy
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Su Liu spoke slowly, her wording vague and grand, like a divine oracle descending from above:
“…I observe that the rock here possesses a sturdy grain, well suited for a foundation. That dark, hardened shell also has excellent resistance to corrosion. Hmm, this mucus is rather extraordinary as well… You are skilled in this craft. Very good.”
Each indistinct word of praise deepened the fervor in the elder’s eyes.
He waved his white, tendril-like hands and excitedly introduced the place to the “Lightbearer”:
“Lightbearer, this is the heart of the Abyssback Reef, protected by the ancient Heart of Stone… Ah, yes—the source of that deep pulse! The reef itself makes an excellent framework, and after being tempered with our clan’s secret techniques, it can rival refined steel! Those insect shells are the cast-off carapaces of the Deep-Diving Shellborer. They remain imperishable for ten thousand years and possess extraordinary resistance to corrosion! As for the ‘blue salivation’ you mentioned…”
He pointed toward a thick, faintly luminous mucus collected from a particular kind of moss.
“It is secreted by the ancient moss nourished by the Heart of Stone. Used in construction, it can shut out the Acid Sea and Corrosive Mists. Its effectiveness far surpasses that of ordinary materials!”
Su Liu committed every piece of information firmly to memory.
The Abyssback Reef, the Heart of Stone, insect shells, ancient moss blue salivation, the Acid Sea, the Corrosive Mists—
One crucial term after another sketched the outline of the islands scattered across the Endless Sea.
The elder even alluded cryptically to “unstable rifts” deep within some of the caverns, leading toward “more dangerous sea eyes,” hinting that the island was not an absolutely safe refuge.
When the elder’s gaze finally shifted from his fervent explanation of the materials to Su Liu, carrying a trace of almost obsequious caution, Su Liu knew that the true trial had arrived.
“Great Lightbearer… forgive the audacity of these humble exiles… The Empire… the glorious Enlightened Empire—now… does the holy light still shine upon it? And the Council… does it still remember our people in the deep sea?”
His voice was filled with unconcealed sorrow and yearning, like that of a drowning man gazing toward the last straw floating on the surface.
Alarm bells rang in Su Liu’s mind. She knew nothing about the current state of the Empire!
Yet her expression remained perfectly calm. Instead, her eyes acquired an almost imperceptible trace of “compassion” and faint “reproach,” while her voice suddenly took on an unquestionable majesty:
“The Empire shall flourish forever, its radiance illuminating the ages!” She first established an unassailable foundation. “Yet even the river of eternity has its own course.”
Her tone shifted, becoming ethereal and lofty. She transformed the question into a loftier expectation while deftly steering the conversation back toward her own objective.
“I have come here by imperial decree, and what I see is whether you are capable of seizing this opportunity for ‘recasting’! Without the Ark’s foundation, all else is meaningless! To become entangled in trifles while neglecting the root—is that not to lose sight of the greater purpose and betray the hopes of the holy light?”
Her words were masterful. She avoided answering the specific questions, elevated the importance of “recasting the Ark,” and concealed a warning within her final statement.
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Every word sounded exactly like the voice of a true imperial envoy burdened by an immense mission—impatient with memories of the past and focused solely on the central task at hand.
The elder trembled beneath that invisible pressure and the rebuke of “losing sight of the greater purpose.” A secretion resembling sweat seeped from his brow, while the glow of the antennae atop his head dimmed several shades.
“Your instruction is entirely correct, Lightbearer! I am base and foolish! Short-sighted! Recasting the Ark is our only chance of survival! I shall not presume to speak out of turn again!”
He lowered his head in terror, fearful of provoking the envoy’s displeasure once more.
Seeing that the atmosphere had been properly established, Su Liu struck while the iron was hot and went straight to the heart of the matter.
“Now that you understand the stakes, gather the materials I require at once: refined rock-bone, the shell of the deep-diving shellborer, and ancient moss blue salivation! The Ark’s foundation permits no delay!”
As though he had received the highest of commands, the elder’s spirits soared. His earlier fear was instantly replaced by an overwhelming sense of mission.
He loudly issued orders in his hurried native tongue, and the silent underground expanse was transformed in an instant into a bustling construction site.
Countless diminutive members of the clan swarmed toward the depths of the various caverns like awakened ants, searching for, gathering, and transporting the materials designated by the “Lightbearer” as the “foundation of the Ark.”
Under the elder’s personal guidance, Su Liu arrived at a spacious cavern piled high with all manner of materials.
Before long, slabs of dark reef stone shimmered with an inky radiance, their hardness rivaling refined steel. One after another, enormous dark-brown insect shells arrived, smooth and resilient, exuding a chill. Several jars fashioned from hardened tree burl were filled to the brim with ancient moss blue salivation, thick and viscous, glowing faintly in the gloom.
The quality and quantity far exceeded the scraps Su Liu had cut from the heaps of discarded wreckage!
She gazed at the mountain of precious supplies before her, her heart pounding wildly, yet her face revealed only a perfectly measured degree of “reluctant satisfaction.”
She knew that time was of the essence. The countdown to repairing the symbiotic vessel was slipping away second by second.
More critically, Mo Yu’s scrutinizing gaze, seemingly capable of piercing straight through the soul, was like an invisible thorn constantly reminding her that this deception could be exposed at any moment.
She forced herself to remain calm and instructed the elder in a tone that allowed no question:
“The materials will suffice for now. Store them here temporarily. I must go to the ‘Ark’ and inspect the condition of its foundation. Continue gathering without delay!”
She deliberately used the vague term “Ark,” disguising her departure as something demanded by duty.
“Yes, Lightbearer!” To the elder, every word spoken by the “Lightbearer” was a sacred command, and he assumed each one concerned a crucial step in fulfilling the Empire’s mission.
He bowed respectfully. “Would you require the company of one of the humble ones or an escort…”
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“No need!” Su Liu refused decisively, adopting the arrogance of an imperial envoy and making it clear that she would not tolerate prying eyes.
“Guard this place and watch over the materials. That alone will be a great service! I have my own ‘messengers’ with which to remain in contact.”
Her words deliberately implied that she could keep abreast of the situation here at any time.
At the end, she allowed the faintest trace of impatience to show, then turned and strode toward the passage by which they had come, without the slightest hesitation.
She did not even spare Luke or Mo Yu another glance, as though they were nothing more than insignificant servants.
The elder and the assembled clansmen prostrated themselves on the ground, seeing the Lightbearer off while murmuring prayers filled with awe.
Su Liu’s steps appeared steady, but they grew faster and faster. Only after turning around a bend in the cavern and completely leaving the elder and the others’ field of vision did she finally release the stale breath she had been holding for so long. Her back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
She swiftly withdrew some of the lighter materials she urgently needed, such as insect shells and blue salivation, from her storage space and stuffed them into her pack. At the same time, using nothing but her will, she frantically loaded the rest—especially the heavy reef-stone cores—into the space.
Faster! Just a little faster!
By the time she had nearly run back to the area where they had first been imprisoned, Luke was still standing there, dazedly trying to digest the fantastical reality before him.
Mo Yu, however, approached without a sound. His low voice rose almost against Su Liu’s ear, scraping across her like an ice blade:
“What a fine ‘Lightbearer of Enlightenment.’” His voice was calm, betraying neither anger nor amusement, yet its edge revealed that he saw through everything. “How do you intend to explain yourself when this is over?”
He had struck precisely at the most fatal concern.
But she had no time to argue. She raised her head abruptly, her eyes filled with tightly suppressed urgency and resolve.
“I only want to survive. We have the materials now, and I know I cannot deceive them for long. Leaving first is what matters most!”
Before the words had even faded, she had already stopped looking at Mo Yu. She turned and raced along the route back, guided by memory, pouring all her strength into the journey toward the exit—to the surface, to the symbiotic vessel, and to the hope of survival.
Her pink figure flashed through the dark underground passage like a streak of light sent to claim a life.
Luke came to himself as though awakening from a dream and instinctively looked toward Mo Yu.
Mo Yu stared at the back of Su Liu as it vanished around the bend. Deep within his black eyes, an exceedingly complicated, razor-sharp glint flickered.
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